wonderful bits of joe

Bicycle Life Lesson #1. Join a community. Learn from experts.

There’s a lot to learn about cycling and I learned almost everything I know through the club.

Bike Life Lesson #1: To learn about something new, like cycling, join a club and absorb from experienced people.

My friends at PTC have taught me so much about biking. There’s technical stuff on how to climb better, how to descend better, how to ride in a pace line.

I learned by watching and asking questions. Whenever anyone has a flat or mechanical issue during a ride, I stop and watch them fix it. I watch to see how they find the problem, how they fix the problem, what tools they use, how they check the fix is done right.

My friends have taught me about how to be a better cyclist, mentally. Be prepared mentally for traffic, for dogs, for potholes.

Learning from experts is also true for other things too. When my son plays soccer, I wanted to cheer, but I had no clue about the rules. Eventually, I went through AYSO referree training and learned all the rules. Now, I know how to cheer. We watched Premier League on TV. We joined the soccer community and learned from the experts.

Joining a community means finding a place that you feel welcome and comfortable enough to ask dumb questions. you end up solving real problems.